It's late -- there was a lot of traffic coming home from the mountains...so I will keep this short.
The mini-hike that we did to reach the Giant Juniper tree was probably all of .25 miles. And I practically died. Ooof. I must be in terrible shape! First, it was really hot. So that counts. Then, there really was no discernible trail...also, we were at an altitude of over 7,000 feet. And last, I was not properly attired. I was wearing sweats because I wasn't really clear about where the hike was, and I underestimated what it would require. All combined, there may be some reason why I practically keeled over, but I need to get on it. I can't be this out of shape!
The second problem was that my balance is absolutely awful!!! When we had to make large leaps off of rocks, or over downed trees, I practically had to scooch on my butt to get across, because if I tried to leap standing up, I would definitely have landed on my bottom. I was literally crawling across the forest to get to the Juniper tree. That's a lovely picture.
So I hope you enjoy it! I was an arduous, and somewhat humiliating adventure. But it gave me the impetus to get started on a new regime. I'll let you know what I decide that is!!!